Interview: David Spade turns invisible for 'Hotel Transylvania'

TORONTO -- You won't see Arizona native David Spade in his new movie and not just because it's animated.

It's because he plays the Invisible Man. He provides one of the voices in the film "Hotel Transylvania," in which Adam Sandler's Dracula opens a hotel for monsters.

Spade, who was a "Saturday Night Live" cast member and appeared on such sitcoms as "Just Shoot Me!" (and still appears on "Rules of Engagement") talked about his new movie, as well as working with Sandler and what the familiarity of being on TV is like.

Question: You do movies but you also do a lot of TV. Is it true that people are more comfortable with TV stars?

Answer: I do have that thing where people want to slap me on the back and buy me a shot and stuff. And 99 percent of that is nice. You know, you see people, they smile or they laugh when you walk by. They think of something you did. That's sort of a good thought to have for them. Some people go too far. But someone like Sean Penn or Harrison Ford, people sort of stay away from. I've noticed that, even when (Chris) Farley was around, when we would go out together it was the worst, because it was like shots and beers and this and, "Call my friend." People are very, very casual and know you from TV. I get a lot of phones handed to me, "Talk to my sister, talk to my sister, it's Joe Dirt."

Q: And you're OK with all that?

A: The one thing I don't like is the talking on the phone, because it's never gone well. Because it's always five minutes of, "No it's me, no it's not, (expletive) you." And no one believes you so it's a pointless conversation.

Another phenomenon is they think I want to have sex with them, because they've heard I have sex with people. So they're shocked if I don't want to.

Q: How do you judge where you stand with fans?

A: I only go by Twitter now. I used to go by fan mail and actual feedback. Now it's just every day you get "beep beep" (mimes playing with a smartphone) of what people like and don't like. I sort of like it. It's a good barometer. You could make a pie chart right away about what they like the most, and the least. So it's hard to get too cocky, mostly because there is an Internet, so if I ever think things are going too well, I click on my name and watch people hate me.

Q: So people recognize you, that's all fine?

A: Someone thinks I'm on the Frosted Mini-Wheats commercial. I got this on Twitter. And I saw it, and I was like, "That does sound like me." That's the funny part.

Q: You do a certain type of comedy. Can you do something different?

A: I can play it a little different. I always joke to my agents, "I'm sick of doing the same thing over and over. I want to do something else." They say, "What else can you do?" I go, "Nothing." I could do something a little different. You know, have a wife in it, have kids, have just something even around me, a cop. Anything different than just a skirt-chasing guy in an office or whatever I am all the time. Even on "Rules of Engagement," I'm like, "What is my job again?"

Q: You've made some movies that critics like and others that they haven't. But you've made a lot of popular ones.

A: The same amount of work goes into a bad one. So you have the same (expletive) long days, the same stress, you're so beat up at the end. Then it actually hurts your career. It's like, "Oh my god. All of this is supposed to pay off."

Q: You are one of the pals Sandler puts in a lot of his movies. You guys all seem to have a good time of it.

A: It does have its tense points. Sandler asking me to be in this was like "Grown Ups." He was very casual about it. He's like, "Hey, I'm doing this thing, come over, play the Invisible Man, it's funny." He doesn't have to say anything. I'm like, "If you want to do it I'll do my best, I'll make it as funny as I can." This is like a kids' movie, so I don't know the tone of the jokes. Like I'll go too far and he'll pull me back. I'll try to add extra, extra stuff.

Q: Of all your movies, "Tommy Boy" seemed to make the biggest impression on people.

A: Listen, I've done probably 20 movies. There's four I hear about a lot. You can tell. You can ask any actor. You know, in order, what you hear about the most. Mine is always "Tommy Boy" No. 1. Then "Joe Dirt." Then it's "Black Sheep" and "Dickie Roberts." I have great memories of that, especially the Farley movies, of course.

Believe me, ("Tommy Boy") is my in with Al Pacino. There are so many people that, if I didn't have "Tommy Boy" I'd be nowhere, because that they know. And so wherever you are, that's a good calling card. Just meeting people. Just stupidly asking Kid Rock to be in "Joe Dirt." He's like, "You were in 'Tommy Boy.' I'll do it." That's a good one that people want to be a part of.